


And the Wheels Are Set in Motion

by HiNataLi (Kami_no_Namida)



Category: Infinite (Band), K-pop
Genre: Drama, M/M, Slash, Suspense, Unresolved past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-05
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2017-12-07 14:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/749354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kami_no_Namida/pseuds/HiNataLi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div class="center">
  <p>Sometimes a meeting can change one's life in a way they never thought possible.</p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>Sometimes a meeting can set a chain reaction one never expected to be a part of into motion.</p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>Sometimes a meeting can be a start of a life searing love.</p>
</div>
            </blockquote>





	1. 00: Foreword

**Author's Note:**

> _So... this is my ff I work still on Asianfanfics.com. (I also have one co-authored ff there,[T4kara](http://www.asianfanfics.com/profile/view/71610) is the other author, but she sadly enough is not a part of AO3)... ___
> 
>  
> 
> Also, as to not rid you of the experience, I am showing a poster made for the fic for which Infinite thanks go to **[kmaniac](http://www.asianfanfics.com/profile/view/27603)** , who created it & background in her **[|| f o o t p r i n t s. 2nd. POSTER. REQUEST. SHOP ||](http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/206886/f-o-o-t-p-r-i-n-t-s-2nd-poster-request-shop-closed-korean-kpop-poster-request)**
> 
> So, Here it goes (^^) 

"So... off to work for once..." Nam Woohyun sighed to himself as he drove to his job in his brand new baby - otherwise known as Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

One that he has gotten for himself as an early birthday present - he wanted to buy the car anyway - after someone _dared_ to steal his last car.

Steal it from _him, the_  Nam Woohyun, the owner of the biggest chain of five-star hotels in South Korea called The Namu. The nerves of that were something beyond the man.

This time around however his car had a _functioning_ alarm. The one on his previous car being broken - suspiciously enough after he lent his car for a day to his friend, one Jang Dongwoo, who assured him that _nothing_  happened to his car like four times over - being the reason for the last car gone in the first place.

Little did the Nam Woohyun know just how different is his life to become because of that one, little, loud device, who will it lead into his path...

Little did he know just what will it set to motion.

* * *

  
**Main Characters:** ~~_(brief introduction)_ ~~  


  **Nam Woohyun** (남우현)

Age: _(almost)_ 22

Owner as well as founder of the biggest chain of five-star hotels in South Korea called The Namu. He stepped into bussiness early in life after his father's sudden, and unresolved, death when he was 18. After the initial struggles of completely rebulding the structure of what was left by his father he has managed to turn the non-profitable chain of stores into what The Namu has become and has been steadily increasing on power ever since... that however also earned him a lot of enemies. 

 

  **&**

**Kim Sunggyu**  (김성규)

Age: 23

A mysterious character. A quiet guy who appears in Woohyun's life all of sudden due to a whim of lady Fate. Just how much he is to change Woohyun's life however, is yet to be known, because no one can escape the past and neither can Sunggyu... and this past might come with a gun in its hands.

 

 -

**Supporting Characters:**

**Jang Dongwoo** (장동우); **Lee Howon** (이호원); **Lee Sungyeol** (이성열); **Kim Myungsoo** (김명수) a.k.a  **L** ; **Lee Sungjong** (이성종)  



	2. 01: Dull and Shrill Sounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they see each other for the first time.

'Run... run... _run!_ ' That was all _he_ could think of, the only thought on his mind. After all it is not possible to think of blooming gardens when you know there are at least four guys with guns after you in an unknown distance. And  _he_ would not want to try it anyway.

"Hyung, can you still go on?" his younger friend by his side asked in between the breaths as they ran side by side, taking a sharp turn to left where they stopped for a moment, trying to catch their breaths.

"Trying to..." came the as short as possible answer which the man offered, holding his injured side, so there would not be blood stains which the "hunters" could use to trace them.

The younger of the two would have laughed at the answer, if it was not for a crashing sound heard from a really close distance.

"Run!" the elder ordered and soon they were both on move again. Running in a direction that would hopefully get them away from the chasers. They really hoped it would.

\- - -

It was getting dark by the time the elder ran out of his strength.

"I can't..." He only whispered as he slowed down and stopped, the breaths comming in and out of his lungs only reluctantly.

"Come on Hyung, we can't st..."

The words were cut of by a dull sound. A sound which was followed by pained gasp of the elder who fell to his knees holding his chest as he started coughing...

Coughing _blood_ to be precise.

"Hyung!" the youngster looked from his fallen friend to the long side-alley they just came from...

Only to see a man who was just lowering his gun with an expression of satisfaction on his face. That however was not the worst part of the sight. The wrost part were the three other men who were just readying their guns to finish their assignment.

The younger runaway had to think quickly and so he did the only thing he could think of, he quickly helped his elder to his feet and supporting him he lead him in between some two cars and made him sit there. Noting a blinking device in each of them, but not needing it in that split moment.

"I'll try to lead them somewhere else..." he whispered as he looked worriedly at the bleeding wound on his friend's chest.

"They won't care about you now, having to deal with me still and..." he got up and pulled out a knife he had hidden in his boot only to drag the deadly-sharp edge down the black car's window. That set the alarm off.

"This should make someone come..." he muttered. "They won't come just to finish you off at that price." he said sadly, then he noted that first of the men was already on the street, trying to look as unsuspicious as possible, no luck there.

"Well, I have to go... Good luck Hyung, I'll try to contact you in case I survive, if not... well... see you sometime later." with that he crept around the car and looked around to think of the fastest and safest way to lead the approaching "unsuspicious" guys away, whilst staying alive. At least they could not shoot him immediately, given that there were some people in close vicinity.

"Be... Be careful..." came a breathy wish from the elder which was followed with a wave of coughs which sounded anything but healthy.

In response the youngster smiled fondly... And then took off.

\- - -

'I must have been slowing him down...' the elder only thought sadly as he watched his quickly retreating younger friend... soon followed by the hired guns, who unlike the boy could not run as it would be too suspicious for them to do so.

'Good luck Sungjong... I hope someone up above helps you...' he only silently prayed as he banged his head against the door of the still screaming car.

'But who will help me?'

\- - - - -

Nam Woohyun was getting _very_ annoyed with having to stay overtime as it was not in his plan to go to work in the first place. He was in his office two days prior, which would usually be enough for a week, but _no_ , there simply _had_ to be trouble when he wanted to sleep whole day.

'I'm sure the world hates me.' the man rambled to himself. 'If only I would have an excuse to...'

Suddenly, Woohyun was pulled out of his thoughts when a sound of alarm going off could be heard from somewhere on the street.

The Namu's owner, however, was too annoyed to realize the possibility of it being _his_ car's alarm. He stood up from his office chair, simply for the sake of yelling at whoever was there on the street that made the device work its fullest.

And so he opened a window, looked out and... saw that the lights on _his_ brand new car were blinking as it was a "side effect" of the alarm going off - of alarm of his car that has been screaming so loudly, the shrill sound being carried throughout the whole street.

Needless to say that the man was immediately going to see the source of the problem.

\- - -

The moment Woohyun finally stepped out of the bulding he set the alarm off from the distance. He however had to go and see if his baby was alright, which was the reason he advanced to the car, only then noting that the sky was almost dark already.

It was when he was only few meters far that he saw that someone was apparently sitting by the side of the car.

"Hey, you!" He exclaimed as he went around the car next to his to get to his own and to berate at the person, believing him or her to be the cause of the alarm going off in the first place. "What do you think you're..."

He stopped himself abruptly when he finally got a sight of the person who was leaning against the side of his black car.

Because the sight that he got was not exactly what he expected.

There he was, a young man with brown hair, holding his side where a wound of sorts must have been located, if the damaged clothes were anything to go by and bleeding profusely from his mouth.

"I'm sorry..." He said in a whisper, and started coughing immediately as he half choked on his own blood, trying to stand up. "I..."

The rest was left unsaid, for the man has passed out.

"Oh, jeez..." Woohyun only sighed noting the damaged window on the driver's side as he pulled out a phone, dialing a number.

"Is that Uilyo* hospital? I seem to be in need of an ambulance... I'm in front of..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Uilyo = "Medical treatment"


	3. 02: Red and White Colour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I am uploading, kinda surprising, isn't it? (^^;)

_11:04_ , read the time on the clock Nam Woohyun was staring at. He could only sigh at the sight.

'So much for getting a nine hour beauty-sleep today...' He thought as he sat down on one of the chairs before him.

'What did I get myself into?' wondered Woohyun as he looked around the hospital's corridor. It seemed just so...  _white_. And it seemed all the more so when he remembered the amount of  _red_  which was the case he was in the hospital now, the man for whose results he was waiting here being the one whose blood that was.

'I can't even imagine how someone survives without that much blood...' Woohyun mused. He however soon stopped himself.

'I  _really_  should think of something else...would be better for my mental health and stability.' Wohyun thought. Something in the back of his mind was telling him he does not want to remember the last time he saw that much blood... Or was there more of it back then?

'Back on track... let's look... at that  _plant_ for example... so  _green_... or the  _chair_... so  _orange_...'

It was almost half an hour later, when Wooyhun was debating with himself whether returning to work would be better then spending the night in the hospital, reminding himself that there were indeed  _more_  colours then white and red in the world, that he saw that a doctor appeared next to him.

"Excuse me, are you Nam Woohyun?" asked the doctor as soon as he came. "You are the one who called us in regard of Mr. Kim?"

"Who?"

"Ah, I forgot, the nurse told me you seemed to not be acquainted with him. According to the identification card in his wallet, the patient who you've brought here is named Kim Sunggyu, age 23."

"23?" Woohyun could not echo in question curiously. "Really?" He mused to himself. To that he got a smile from the doctor.

"He indeed is... however what I wanted to inform you about is that after the operation that had to take place, due to the wound made by a bullet and it staying in Mr. Kim's body he is likely to be asleep for until tomorrow's noon. Would you be available to come back around that time?" the doctor asked, knowing full well that he was talking to a busy man.

"Why should I?" Woohyun asked, pushing down the question about the bullet altogether.

"I'm sure Mr. Kim would like to know who saved his life. If not for you calling us as soon as you did he might have bled to death."

"That's good I guess..."

"Indeed it is." The doctor laughed. "All the more reason for you to come... that and the papers you'll have to fill and sign, as it was you who called the hospital in the first place..."

"More papers..." Woohyun rolled his eyes, imagining the pile that stayed on his desk when he went out to check the car. He however decided that it would have to wait till tomorrow.

"Okay, I understand, I'll come by tomorrow." Woohyun sighed. "Now, if you excuse me I have to go..." He bowed slightly, leaving almost immediately after.

He only hoped that the car would still be in the parking lot.

\- - - - -

When Sunggyu came around he was only aware of the amount of white around him, as his vision was a bit blurry from the sleep.

'Did I die?' He asked himself. He however quickly pushed it aside, being a person who did not believe in an afterlife. 'Where am I?' He corrected a question more to his beliefs.

"You awake?" he suddenly heard from his left and his head snapped immediately to that direction. That however in turn almost made him pass out due to the wave of diziness the motion sent over him.

"Take it easy..." The person laughed.

'I'd strangle you if I could.' Sunggyu thought, not being able to talk due to the tube in his mouth. He was only little aware of the pain in his chest, where the bullet damaged his lung and a few of his ribs. He was for the moment only concentrating to look at the person, a guy he knew from the voice, which  _dared_  to laugh at him when he was confined to bed.

The guy however made himself easier to spot as he walked over to stand in front of the bed and Sunggyu begrudgingly had to admit to himself that there was quite a fine specimen standing in front of him. That however did not make the anger directed at the offender lessen a bit and as he could not speak, he decided to only stare at him, hoping that some higher power would give his glare a deadly attribute.

"You narrowing your eyes at me?" he laughed still "Do you realize it does not make much of a difference? Some would not even be able to tell..." an fake-innocent face replacing the broad smile for a second, only to return to place right after.

'Do I really have to listen to this?' Sunggyu asked no one, given that there really was no other person in the room... and the tube was still annoying him as he could not speak back to the guy. And so he only closed his eyes se he wouldn't have to look at him. That earned him a chuckle. He however did not open his eyes still.

"So not even looking at me now? Is Gyu-no-eyes mad at me?"

That caused Sunggyu to open his eyes again. How did that punk in higher society clothes know his name?

Sunggyu soon knew that he must have showed his confusion on his face somehow as the guy answered the unspoken question for him.

"The doctor told me... he knew it from the identification of something you had in your wallet... Don't look at me like that, it's not like it was me who searched it... and they needed to identify you somehow... It's not like I knew your name when I called the hospital... And I'm Woohyun by the way."

Sunggyu only rolled his eyes at that. He however was not exactly sure how was it he met Woohyun, everything has been quite hazy after he saw Sungjong leave. He needed to ask the guy,  _Woohyun_ , but he still had that  _damn tube_  in his mouth, thus was unable to... and so he motioned slowly to his mouth with the hand that did not have the IV in it.

"You want me to take out the tube? I don't know if I can, but I'll get you a doctor... or nurse... or someone... wait a bit."

And with that he left the room, leaving Sunggyu staring after him. The older of the two would have chuckled if not in the condition he was in.

'What a weird guy...'

It was no later then five minutes that Woohyun returned with a nurse in tow.

The sight somehow amused Sunggyu. The nurse seemed to have been a young one, probably only coming with Wooyhun because of the greasiness he oozed and some random flirting also.

Sunggyu however was not the one to complain, much, as soon he was able to talk again.

"Finaly.. " he rasped. He then turned to the nurse. "When will I be allowed to leave?"

"You want to leave already?" The nurse asked, apparently shocked "That won't happen for at least a week. There still could occur some internal bleeding if cou overexert yourself, sir." She said, lookign at the charts which obviously were about him.

"Great... just what I needed..." Sunggyu muttered to himself. 'To sit in one place as a chicken and wait for someone to come and suffocate me in my sleep.' He added.

"Not to mention there is still some questioning planned for you. There  _was_  a bullet in your body after all." The nurse continued. When however she saw Sunggyu's disinterest in her person she sighed. "I'll come by later to bring you lunch. For now just don't leave the bed..." she said and left, leaving Sunggyu and Woohyun in the room alone.

"So, now that she has left, I have time to ask you... Who the hell are you?" Sunggyu turned to Woohyun immediately.

"It was me who found you... you ended up next to my car for some reason and I though it would be a pity to let you die."

"A pity?"

"Oh, sure.. Why leave such a pretty guy to die?" Woohyun grinned.

'Here comes the greasiness..' Sunggyu groaned to himself. Outward he only asked. "Is it a policy of yours to hit on guys who are not able to run away from you?"

"No, you're the first."

"What an honor." Sunggyu rolled his eyes. He however soon fell into quite a comfortable conversation with Woohyun about little nothings and such, only being interrupted for a while when the lunch was brought.

He was surprised to hear just  _which_ Woohyun he was talking to. After all it is not everyday that one of the most important people in the area, the Nam Woohyun himself saves your life, right?

The easy atmosphere has however dropped when Woohyun asked a question Sunggyu was dreading to hear.

"Why were you even there?"

It made Sunggyu think of Sungjong. What if his friend was alive no longer? It made him think of what the two of them had to go through to get out of  _that_ hell of a place.

Seeing Sunggyu being lost in his own thoughts Woohyun said his goodbyes, only getting a nod of acknowledgement in response.

He wondered what made Sunggyu have such a pained expression when thinking of past.

He was determined to come back and get the answer out of Sunggyu. Maybe he could help Sunggyu even?

'One never knows without trying, right?'


	4. 03: Rainbows and Rainclouds Ahead

Sunggyu looked around the hospital room and could only sigh.

'How am I supposed to get out of here?' He mused. He after all did not want to get killed... and as he knew the hitmen's sources were good enough to at least suspect him to be in the hospital by then, that is if they ruled out the option of him being dead already. That however would happen only after they killed Sungjong. Or only caught him and the boy was probably being tortured as of the current moment... and Sunggyu hated to think about that option.

"Heya, Gyu-no-eyes! How're you doing today?" a voice brought the patient out of his thoughts. The said patient did not even need to guess who was it that came. The name he was given spoke for itself.

"Why are you here again?" Sunggyu sighed only, not letting a hint of his previous inner turmoil to show in his facial features.

"To let you bask in my presence..." Woohyun said, as he entered the room, grin plastered on his face.

"How about amusing me with the image of your body falling from the window?" Sunggyu said in all seriousness. His suggestion was however soon declined.

"Come on, who would be here to bring you oranges then?" the guy laughed as he brought a paper-bag of said fruit to attention, having hidden it behind his back before.

"Whatever..." Sunggyu answered only. He knew that aside from the crazy head of "The Namu" who seemed set on bringing him fruit in a rainbow colours order - judging from yesterday's strawberries and the idiot's blabber about bananas for tomorrow - there would be no one who would bring him anything. He wouldn't get anything but hospital food... and then there was a possibility of a bullet to the head, perfectly aimed from the opposite building... It depended on how have the hitmen and co. spent the time that he was bedridden.

For now though, the roof of the opposite building stayed clear of any human presence.

During the inner musing of the elder of the two occupants in the room the younger took time to study the enigma called Kim Sunggyu.

'Certainly someone one would not mind looking at for a larger amount of time... though maybe less skin covered would be appreciated.' was the first point on Woohyun's list of observations, always being the grease-ball he is.

'Character... certainly not someone who it would be boring to be with... even if he's not speaking much.'

The fact that Sunggyu was not only quiet but also seemed shy - which did not make him a best of conversionalists - did not bother Woohyun at all. He on the other hand appreciated that what was said was to a point - most of the time... and had some meaning at least.

Kim Sunggyu was surely someone Woohyun found out to be miles different from everyone he has met till that day.

And that was making the head of "The Namu" very, _very_  intrigued.

\- - - - -

"Can I finally leave?" Sunggyu asked the young doctor - about three years older then him, he guessed - who came by often during his sixth day of consciousness in hospital - making it a week in total.

"I'm sorry but your ribs are still not healed enough... You could damage your lung if you were to move around much... which means, no, you cannot leave, yet..." the doctor sighed. There however seemed more to that simple releasing of carbon dioxide. Something underlying in it. And the reason for that the third man in the room had no problem asking about.

"What is the matter, doctor?" Woohyun asked simply, not seeing point in beating around the bush, knowing that the doctor knew well-enough what he was talking about.

"I'm sorry, it must seem unprofessional of me. It's just that yesterday evening there was an incident with the guards... Apparently someone has tried to sneak into the hospital to harm, kill even maybe, one of the patients... if the poison which has fell out of his pocket when the man ran away was anything to go by."

The way the laying person's hands gripped the box of blueberries until the knuckles on them went white did not go unnoticed by Woohyun. He however saved that information for later. Having every intention to ask about it once the doctor went to see his other patients...

"It is good then that that no one got hurt, right?"

"Indeed..." the doctor agreed absent-mindedly. Soon however he "returned" from his inner turmoil and went back into a I'm-a-doctor-above-anything-else mode and smiled at the man on bed once turning to him.

"I have to go now, Mr. Kim, I'll come by sometime later in the evening... Now if you excuse me gentlemen." he bowed slightly and soon left the room.

And the strained atmosphere overtook.

"Did he come because of you?" Wooyhun asked as once the silence which fell over the room for a moment became unbearable.

To that question Sunggyu visibly flinched. He however did not look in the younger man's eyes just yet. He only stubborny held his blueberry box.

"Don't pretend. I've seen how you reacted to what that doctor said. There has to be some connection between you and the man who tried to break in... and the whole reason you're here is connected to it also, I'm sure."

"What's it to you?" Sunggyu said through his gritted teeth. He however still behaved as if the blueberries were the most interesting thing in the room and stared at them with a concentration unrivaled.

'So stubborn...' Woohyun sighed, then however soon grinned to himself. 'I like that...'

\- - - - -

Somehow Woohyun was not surprised when he came the next day and the patient he kept on visiting seemed more nervous than the day before.

"Hi there sunshine~" he half sang, thrusting a paper sack with plums into the guy's hands. He only got a nod in appreciation for the fruit... and glare for the comment.

"It's only two in the afternoon and you're so grumpy already?" Woohyun teased, hoping to ease the tension from the elder a bit. It however only caused for the other man in the room to ignore him. It however was still clear as day to Woohyun that the man wanted nothing but up and run from the hospital.

He somehow could not bear the idea of not seeing the man again... which brought him back to the idea he came up with.

"You don't have to stay here if you feel so unsecure, you know?"

"What?" the head snapped up to the more cheerful male of the two.

"I could actually arrange for you to stay with me. I have a security system rivalling bank's." Woohyun grinned. He almost expected an outburst of "As if I'd want to live with you!" from the patient, however the actual response was quite different.

"Why would you do that?" That alone showed just how scared Sunggyu was to stay in the hospital, probably feeling like a sitting chicken, waiting for slaughter.

"Because I want to?"

As arrogant as that statement seemed Sunggyu knew that Woohyun meant just that. And it was not like he had a list of choices.

"You think that it could be arranged?" Sunggyu asked self-consciously.

"You'd be surprised what a word with director and a good funding can do." Woohyun laughed, he then stood up from the chair he sat on sometime half-way during the talk and turned to leave. He however was stopped by a voice from the bed.

"Woohyun?"

"What?" He turned around, smiling at the fact that Sunggyu had for once called him by his name.

"Thank you."

"Anytime for you sunshine."

\- - - - -

And so it was that later that day one Kim Sunggyu has been "transferred" to another hospital. Or at least that was what official reports said.

Instead he suddenly found himself in front of a house which could only be called  _huge_.

"You live in  _this_?" He asked incredulously, turning his head to the house's owner who was holding the handles of his wheel-chair, about to take him to the house.

"You expected any less?"

"Actually? Yes..." Sunggyu admitted as he took in the image of the house. Then his eyes slid to the sky above.

"How about we head inside? See the rainclouds? It's going to rain soon..." he said, pointing at the sky.

"Hmm.. It seems so..." Woohyun said as he started pushing the wheel-chair down the short path to the house. It however was still long enough for Sunggyu to remember something quite related to the rain.

"Now that I think about it you did not really manage to finish your rainbow fruit plan." Sunggyu turned to Woohyun again.

"You knew about that?"

"It was quite obvious..." Sunggyu rolled his eyes.

"That means we'll have to start again, I guess..." Woohyun laughed as he wheeled Sunggyu inside the house.

"If you want to why not?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

\- - - - -

Neither of the two men were aware what was happening in the hospital at that moment. They no longer needed to. They however would find out from the next day's news about a patient killed in that place.

A patient who had been on the very bed Sunggyu has been on just few hours prior.


	5. 04: Fishies and Echoes Sinking

"Well... that certainly speaks of the heaviness of the situation..." Woohyun mumbled to himself as he held the morning newspaper, where the possibilities of why there was a murder in a hospital were thought of.

Woohyun hated to think that it  _should_ have been Sunggyu said after words "the victim of the hospital murder was called...".

He pitied the man who took the damage instead, but he still was happy somehow that he managed to save Sunggyu from that fate.

He even managed to stop the newspaper from publishing Sunggyu's name as a potential intended victim, which they otherwise for sure would have done.

'For how long that will be possible though?'

\- - - - -

"Hello sunshine~" Woohyun greeted the only other occupant in his house - aside from the servants - as he strode into the room with a tray on which a breakfast was.

The said occupant fried him with a stare first then only sighed, pulling himself a bit up in his sitting position on the bed.

"Hi..." Sunggyu groaned in response as the breakfast landed in front of him. "To what do I owe a breakfast to the bed?" he asked, turning to Woohyun who by then taken to sit on the edge of his bed.

"To no one." Woohyun grinned as he took one of the cups on the tray, the only thing for himself he placed there. "I just felt like making something for you."

"Wait a moment, you actually made this?" Sunggyu asked, eyes widening as he made a circle with his hand over his breakfast to prove his point. "And without burning the house down?"

"Yes?" Woohyun said nonchalantly, not getting where the older guy got the idea of him not knowing a bit about cooking.

"Just did not think you the type." Sunggyu shrugged his shoulders as he took a fork and dug into the scrambled eggs and the room stayed silent for a while.

It was after few minutes, once Sunggyu finished the last piece of fruit he had on the tray that the silence was broken by Woohyun, who looked at Sunggyu hopefully. "So?"

"It was good." Sunggyu admitted, taking a cup from the tray also and sipped the hot chocolate in it.

"I'm glad to hear that." Woohyun smiled. "I did not really cook for anyone yet."

"So I was a laboratory mouse?" Sunggyu asked mock-horrified.

"No. I usually only cook for myself." Woohyun finished his trail of thoughts, grinning. Then however hiss expression turned inti a more serious one. "I would rather not poison you with my cooking if I can keep you alive by letting you stay here."

"What?"

"Read this." Woohyun sighed as he pointed at the newspaper which was partly hidden beneath the empty dishes on the trail. "I think you'd want to know about that."

As Sunggyu kept reading on Woohyun could see how the elder's hand started trembling slightly. He however knew better than to say anything and so he only waited until Sunggyu read the whole article.

"I should have been dead." Sunggyu whispered as he placed the newspaper away so he wouldn't have to look at the main article.

"But you're not, that's what counts."

"And Sungjong is probably dead also."

The whispering words Sunggyu said were almost inaudible, however Woohyun heard them still. It was not hard to hear just how much Sunggyu liked the "Sungjong" he spoke about. And the fact that he could be possibly dead pretty much  meant that he must have been in a similar situation as Sunggyu himself was. Only he was not put away in hospital for a while.

"Who?" Woohyun asked. He hoped that if he knew some facts then maybe he could let someone look into it and possibly ease Sunggyu's worries... Or at least he would possibly drag him from the awful state of not knowing for sure.

"A friend, he... He was the one to damage your car, sorry about that." Sunggyu started, smiling sadly at the memory. "We were running from hitmen, don't ask why, I'm not ready to tell." the elder cut of Woohyun just as he was about to open his mouth. "I was already hurt by then..." Sunggyu's hand subconsciously slid to his injured side. "...and then I was shot." Sunggyu cut himself off for a minute, closing his eyes as the pain re-appeared in his mind. Then however he continued.

"Sungjong took me away, into the street, and left me by your car, causing the alarm to scream its wires off... and then he ran away, getting the attention on himself. He knew that they won't go near the car as I was damaged anyway and they needed to catch  _him_  still... and so I was left there, hoping that someone will hear the awful screeching. Which you did... I still don't know what's with Sungjong though." Sunggyu trailed off, getting lost in the worry for his friend.

"I can try to let someone look into it." Woohyun offered, getting Sunggyu's attention on him again.

"If he's around fishies already they won't find him anyway." Sunggyu said in a mournful voice.

"Fishies?"

"They're like mafia sometimes, or yakuza if you want. They like to get rid of people by throwing them to some bay with girder tied to their leg." he explained.

"But he does not have to be, you know?" Woohyun said, trying to lift the spirits of the patient a bit. "I'll still look into it, if you let me, of course."

"Do what you want." Sunggyu sighed, losing hope in that matter.

"Great, I  _want_ to search for this friend of yours, as he obviously saved your life. Now... What can you tell me about him?"

\- - - - -

Later that day Woohyun already had a man sent on a trace of one Lee Sungjong, hoping for good news rather than the bad ones. He really hated to see Sunggyu as down as he become from the moment he got to know the news about the man killed in the hospital.

If it were any other situation Woohyun would have teased Sunggyu about how he seemed to think of his friend before himself. The worries about his friend occupying his mind more than the possibility of his  _own_  death.

'Sungjong must really mean a great deal to him.' Woohyun thought to himself as he returned to his palace of a house after spending few hours in his office, talking with the guy who by the time he got home was sure to have read through most of the papers he got him on Sungjong.

'I really need to relax now.' Woohyun said to himself as he stretched, ridding himself of at least some tension which came with riding in a car. As he did so he caught a sight of Sunggyu on garden, sitting in his wheel-chair in front of the fountain.

'Might as well join.' Woohyun thought a bit happier at seeing the older man again.

As stepped onto the loft of the path to garden he was already thinking of all the ways how he could lift Sunggyu's mood up at least a little bit.

It was because of that that he did not really notice a stone in the path until he stumbled over it, and fell on all four, the unexpected motion startling him a bit. What images his mind brought him however startled him more.

Woohyun was looking down at his hands which were covered in mud from the fall when suddenly an image flashed before his eyes. An image of those very same hands covered in blood. The red liquid dripping down on the ground. And then it was gone.

'What was that?' he asked himself confused, blinking furiously, willing the image of red away.

The strange echo of memory sank back deep into his mind when a worried voice came from his left.

"Are you okay?" Sunggyu asked, placing his hand on Woohyun's shoulder.

"Yes, I think I am." he said, smiling as to not worry Sunggyu even more.

It did not convince the older of the two completely, however he knew better than to ask about that, when Woohyun clearly was not about to speak what made him pale so. And so instead of that Sunggyu spoke.

"What about the information, will it help?"

"I think so, the man seemed pretty impressed how much one can drag from his memory." Woohyun laughed. "He said he'll give us an update once he finds some clue."

"Thanks." Sunggyu said, in appreciation.

"Anytime, sunshine."

\- - - - -

Neither of the two knew that near the hospital the very young man they spoke about was, reading the morning newspaper in only the light of the street lamps in one of the side-alleys.

"The other possible victims' names are not to be published." Sungjong mouthed silently, reading through the article.

"So you have someone protecting you for now, hyung." Sungjong sighed, relieved. Then however he realized a fact which will prove quite problematic.

"But how am I supposed to find you now..?"


	6. 05: Black and Purple Clothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading!!! Yay °(^0^)°  
> Another of the OT7 in the picture~ Guess who?

Sunggyu was anxious to hear some news about Sungjong and he was despairing over not hearing any for quite some time, praying that his friend is safe somewhere.

Some ten days into his stay at Woohyun's "palace" his prayers seemed to have been heard, for he got to know that the investigator wanted to meet Woohyun, which was something he would not do until he would get some information.

He was  _so_  going to fry Woohyun for information once that greasy tree returned from work.

\- - - - -

When Woohyun saw the investigator he hired and whom he has not met up with face to face yet he liked the guy immediately.

"Good afternoon, my name is Lee Howon but if you'd prefer something less stiff to call me with I go by Hoya." the guy said, shaking Woohyun's hand, apparently unfazed by the fact of whom he was speaking to.

Hoya's eyes did not slide to the price-y furniture around the room, to the original paining from Van Gogh on the wall, nor to the - admittedly - beautiful secretary Woohyun has just dismissed and who was just leaving. He seemed to know just how much of an importance his work held to Woohyun... unlike some of the men Woohyun had to talk actual business with.

Yes, Woohyun liked that guy.

And he also knew of a certain friend of his - who still owed him for his stolen car - who would possibly like the man also... for entirely different reasons though - the fact that the man seemed as quite a happy-go-lucky type being one of them. Getting the two of them together would have to wait though, there were more important matters on hand at the time.

\- - -

"He's been spotted near the hospital soon after the incident took place." Hoya read from his notes, after he summarised the outlook of the search as a whole - succesful. "After that he has only been spotted near The Namu Headquarters, three or four days back, but since then nothing. You can tell your friend that his friend seems to be alive as of the moment though."

"Thanks anyway Hoya, I'll be sure to tell him." Woohyun said and the guy whose favourite seemed to be purple - if one was to guess from his clothes - retreated.

Once alone Woohyun took his cell and called Sunggyu who he knew has been wating for an update since Woohyun said that he is to meet the investigator that day.

 _"So?"_  the anxiousness was obvious even through the line.

"Someone saw him near the hospital. He left soon after." Woohyun said, knowing well that Sunggyu wanted to have an answer for his "alive or dead" question first.

_"Thanks god."_

If someone asked Woohyun he would have sworn that he heard a  _thump_ as the heavy burden of worry fell from Sunggyu's shoulders.

"He's trying to track you."

_"What?"_

"He's been seen near the hospital and also near the Headquarters, which is where he saw you last. Don't you think that it quite a high possibility for that?"

 _"Yes."_  Sunggyu admitted, then spoke again after a minute of silence.  _"But even I don't even know precisely where I am as of moment... Do you think that if you manage to track him first that you'd be able to bring him here?"_

Woohyun thought about it for a moment. It already was dangerous to have a man whom someone wanted dead in his home... which meant that it won't really make a difference to have one more there, all the more since they seemed to be wanted by the same people.

"Shouldn't be much of a problem. How to get him to speak to us though?"

 _"It might prove tricky... Even if you manage to find him then it is not for sure that he will speak to whoever you send him... And it's not like I can go to speak to him myself... I can't even walk properly still... A word of advice though, if you send someone who is not black-clothed from head to toe he tends to be a **tiny** bit more trustful."_ Sunggyu mused.

"How about purple?"

_"Huh?"_

"If I get to talk to him through someone in purple from head to toe?" Woohyun chuckled, the image of Hoya appearing in his mind.

 _"Why purple? Who in their right mind would wear **everything**  in purple?"_ Sunggyu asked, confused.

"You'd have to see Hoya, the investigator, to get answer for that. He seemed to  _be_ in his right mind though. In case you did not get the implication he seems really... _fond_ of the colour." Woohyun laughed.

If the search of Sungjong proved succesful he had to introduce the guy to Sunggyu also. Hoya knew of Sunggyu's role in the hospital tragedy on a simplified level, if he proved trustworthy... Maybe he would not be adverse to look into the matter of the organisation after the Sunggyu's and Sungjong's lives also?

'We'll have to see about that I guess...' Woohyun thought to himself as he said "See you soon." to Sunggyu and cut the call off once he got the response.

And only minutes later he was already looking forward to seeing the man in question for real, as he was driving back home.

\- - - - -

"Nothing ever goes smoothly..." a man dressed in black completely rambled as he watched the screen in front of him.

There he saw news which included a long report about the incident in hospital, closely followed with a discussion of the same topic. After all it was not often that someone died in hospital from something different than medical reasons... it being all the more suspicious after the incident with the poison which fell from the pocket of a man who ran off once the attention turned to him... that had happened only few days before that.

"Idiots... can't do their work right..." the man grumbled, tearing the newspaper which had the very same topic on the main page into two halves and throwing it aside.

"L!" he yelled out and immediately a young man with a clothing of a very similar type to the man's stepped out of the shadows, as if appearing out of nowhere.

"I want you to get rid of the pests who caused this fiasco." the man ordered. "In some unsuspicious way, if possible."

"Yes sir."

"Once you're done with that, I want you to track those two runaways... kill them on sight."

"But sir,..."

"Don't you dare talk back... you know what will happen if you even _imply_  disobedience, don't you?"

The black haired youth only shrank back, nodding his head submissively, his hand subconsciously going to the promise ring on his hand.

"Understood."

"Glad to hear that, my dear L... I was worried for just a second that you might have forgotten about him..." the man smirked as he stood, only to stop just in front of L. "Remember your place L... Or he will pay greatly."

Instead of answer L bowed and left, he knew better than to doubt the man's words.

He had done that mistake only once. He could not afford a repeat.

The consequences would hurt even more this time around.


	7. 06: Masks and Cells Trapping

It did not take that much of a time for Woohyun and Sunggyu to fall into a comfortable routine of having the other's presence around most of the time and by the time a month of Sunggyu's stay rolled around they were used to each other as if knowing each other for ages. It was not like either was about to complain anyway.

Even the strain of stress which the threat hanging over their head brought and also fear for the untraceable boy which Woohyun shared with Sunggyu, having been told loads about Sungjong, feeling as if it was his own friend also... if the two were in each other's presence even that seemed to not be that heavy a load to carry.

However nothing nice stays for a long time.

And the peaceful time was not about to stay peaceful for much longer.

\- - - - -

_"I've found him!"_  were the first words Woohyun heard exclaimed straight into his ear once he picked up the incoming call from the purple-loving investigator called Hoya.

The first reaction Woohyun had to that was a sigh.

It was not that he was not happy about the news. Nor was it anything along the lines of missing Hoya's cheerful "Good morning!" which he would start with at the time of day, the tone being sompletely out of appropriate levels, given his work.

Woohyun just really liked having his eardrums intact and dealing with Hoya was damaging them a great deal.

Having pondered about his poor abused tympanic membrane Woohyun finally let the words said sink and exclaimed back. "What!?"

 _"My ears..."_ he heard a muffled muttering from the other line, feeling brief satisfaction, before Hoya picked up his work-persona.

 _"I found Sungjong I meant, of course."_  the investigator clarified.  _"Not the easiest lad to convince of something, I tell you."_

"And you're surprised?"

_"Not really... Anyway, I spoke with him, somewhat convinced him to believe me I'm not there to kill him and we had come to an agreement to have another meeting."_

"Why another?"

_"He won't come anywhere until Sunggyu is present, he said. He does not believe me. Not really."_

"I'll pass that onto Sunggyu."

_"Would be appreciated."_

"When is the meeting? And where?" Woohyun asked. He was sure it was not even remotely near Headquarters or the hospital he took Sunggyu from. He was actually quite sure the boy was not in centre of Seoul anymore, if even in the city.

_"He said he'll meet us on Incheon International Airport the day after tomorrow. If we don't meet up he'll take the first plane and leave."_

"Incheon? How did he get there if he has to avoid main roads to not be seen by cameras?"

 _"Who knows? Still better than if we found him on Jeju, isn't it?"_  Hoya chuckled. He then however grew serious again quickly.  _"The meeting is scheduled for 12:12 AM. About five planes leave in span of an hour after that. If we miss that we can as easily just say adieu."_

"Got that. We'll be there, of course, where should we pick you up?"

_"Not the headquarters, we don't know for sure if they don't expect Sunggyu there... what about Namsan?"_

"The park you mean? Okay, we'll be there at before nine... it should take only about two hours at most, but time reserve is better in case there is traffic jam or something."

_"Thought so also. I'll see the two of you later then."_

"See you."

\- - - - -

"Trip time!" Woohyun announced happily when he stumbled upon Sunggyu soon after he came home.

"A trip? What the hell are you talking about?" Sunggyu rolled his eyes, he was wondering just what great plan it was that the head of The Namu thought of. The last time he said he'll kidnap him and take him to Niagara falls.

"Actually... no, no trip." Woohyun backed off, seeing the mood he caught the elder in was not exactly the perfect one to make jokes. "We however still will go out in two days time... we might someone _really_  important there." his head tilting, his voice full of implication.

"Really?" Sunggyu caught on quickly. "You know where he is?"

"Yep. He won't come until you're there though, so..."

"I will walk all the way by foot if I have to..." Sunggyu said immediately. It was quite a thing to say, for even though he has been healed for the most part Sunggyu still had bouts of weakness at times and had bed rest ordered for the most part of the day still.

"Would take too long. We're going by car. If however we manage to get stuck in traffic congestion we'll have to walk there if needed, can't really let him fly off can we?"

"Fly off?"

"Ah, I didn't tell you or did I? We're meeting him at the Incheon Airport. We being me, you and Hoya by the way... Anyway if he does not see us there at the said time he'll leave. I don't think we'd really be able to track him. There are too many planes leaving around that time."

"Not to mention more leaving later. Sungjong being Sungjong, he'd probably wait a bit as to let anyone after him concentrate on the sooner planes and get the attention off himself. Then he'd take flight to the opposite direction anyone would expect him to. I guess he'd go for Europe. Poor Jong, he does not even speak English well..." Sunggyu trailed off. He really hoped it won't come to that.

"We'll get there on time." Woohyun tried to lift the mood a bit. "And then I can teach him if he'd be interested." he laughed.

"You speak English?"

"English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and level higher than the very basics of French, German and Russian... I do business sunshine, had to learn quite a lot." Woohyun grinned. His knowledge of languages was one of the things he prided himself in. "What about you?"

"Well...English, somewhat... that and basics of Yue Chinese, Japanese and Tagalog... and barest need of Portuguese."

"Been to Europe?" Woohyun asked, surprised.

"No. Been to Brazil though."

"Care to share why?"

"Not really, not now anyway, but if we do miss Sungjong at the airport, Portugal is the most probable country he'd go for. He was way better at Portuguese than me. Always said he has to speak to an European native of the language at least once." Sunggyu said, smiling fondly at the memory.

"Maybe we can go there for some time if everything goes well? Maybe after the Niagara falls?" Woohyun said in serious voice before bursting out laughing.

"Idiot."

\- - - - -

Sungjong got to Incheon on the day he spoke of with Hoya, who he had named in his mind as "the funny purple guy" sooner than he expected. It was only about ten past eleven when he walked through one of the less frequently used entrances, being as heavily disguised without alerting the airport's guards as possible. He could not risk being held somewhere for any amount of time.  _They_  had people everywhere. Police was a sure thing to be infiltrated.

As Sungjong mused he caught something black in his peripheral vision. Looking the way he however saw no one wearing that colour in amount which would alert him so.

It did not help him to be much calmer.

It _really_ did not. 

\- - - - -

"Almost there." Hoya, who took the position of the driver announced when it was nearing quarter to twelve.

"Finally." Sunggyu muttered. He was pretty nervous about how this whole action would go. He had a feeling in his guts that it won't go anywhere near easy... and knowing that the other two people in the car thought so also did not help him any.

He could see it in their faces. He could see that even under Woohyun's smiles there was something tense. Somethng which was fearing of failure.

Sunggyu really hoped that it was just some paranoia of his.... He however knew better. It was not even near possible for  _them_  to not hear of him and Sungjong being at Incheon. Especially if they put  _him_  to the task of finding and eliminating them.

Sunggyu actually pitied him. He knew just what made him so precise, so  _ruthless_ in doing his work... He just really wished that it was not that forlorn determination which L held that was set on killing him. Which  _Myungsoo_ held.

Sunggyu's thoughts slid to the person in the cell next to his as well as opposite to Sungjong's.

The only person that Sunggyu has seen L treat with anything but cool calculation or hatred. Not that L was aware of that, of course... Sunggyu still remembered that one time clearly.

-

_It was late into the night that he came, switching on the light, calling out to the person that had been captured to be held in that prison way longer than Sunggyu and Sungjong had been. The thin arms which reached out of the bars were full proof of that._

_"Myung?" the one who never really spoke called out as he blindly reached out to where he knew the one he called was._

_"Yeollie..." the one whom Sunggyu had not heard being called anything but L whispered, voice full of emotion he had not expected the black clad man to be capable of._

_"My Yeollie..." L choked out as he let the thin arms wrap around him, his own going around the thin waist. "I'll take you out of here... I swear I will."_

_"I know you will."_

_"I..."_

_Whatever L wanted to say has been cut off by a low sound at which L cursed. Still keeping one arm around his lover he dug a pager out of his pocket, looking at the small display._

_Cursing again he cast a quick look to "Yeol" before looking down to the floor and backing off a little. He looked... ashamed._

_"It's okay. Go." the boy behind the bars smiled sadly, reaching out to "Myung's" face and pulling him closer by the back of his neck to crash their lips together._

_"Don't beat yourself over it." he said, placing a peck on the forehead of his slightly shorter boyfriend._

_"I love you so much." L whispered to him as pulled him for last kiss._

_"Love you, too."_

_It was only that few words which caused the one Sunggyu has only known as ruthless before to smile._

_One last smile._

_"I'll return."_

_"I'll wait."_

_After that the prisoner retreated back into the depths of his cell... and L schooled his features back into a mask and left._

_As soon as the door behind L closed Sunggyu heard a soft voice._

_"Can you not speak of that? Either of you?"_

_How the boy undoubtedly younger than him could have know he was awake without even looking at him he did not know, but soon Sunggyu could see Sungjong come closer to the bars of his cell, just as he himself did. Sunggyu expected his younger friend to be awake also. Sungjong also had trouble sleeping for few days whenever they were taken away... to be convinced to talk. Not a nice experience._

_Seeing that Sungjong was not about to speak in this matter Sunggyu asked the question for both of them._

_"Why?"_

_"I know you have no reason to trust me, but... Myungsoo is not bad. He's doing this because of me. Because they saw his potential... and I am his weakness." the voice trailed off. "It will get worse if you speak to anyone in here about it anyway... for him... for me... and for you also, they would expect more information."_

_I did not have doubts about the boy's sincerity actually... not after what he and Sungjong had just witnessed._

_"Sunggyu."_

_"Huh?"_

_"My name is Sunggyu." the eldest of the current prisoners smiled weakly. "Yours?" Saying those few words was a proof of trust. After all, neither of them had known the other's name and they were in the same room for quite some time._

_"Sungyeol."_

_"Sungjong." the youngest beeped from across the large room divided by bars and short walls, which kept the very barest of privacy into six cells. The three cells they were trapped in were the only ones usually occupied, for the others brought into that room were only needed for a short time... Maybe those were the lucky ones._

_"We should sleep." Sungyeol said, looking at the lamp Myungsoo forgot to switch off and a small window... the only source of light and the only way to know whether it is day or night outside. They never switched the lamp on during the night for them. Why waste electricity?_

_"I guess we should." Sunggyu agreed._

_But even though that was said neither of the three occupants slept that night. There was too much on their minds. They only slipped into the blackness when the exhaustion became unbearable long hours after._

_-_

"Are you okay?" a worried voice brought Sunggyu out of his reminiscence of past.

"What?" he focused on the face in front of him, finding it to be Woohyun's.

"We're here." Woohyun announced only, knowing that Sunggyu would not speak of what was on his mind anyway.

"Okay." Sungyu said only, climbing out of the car. His mind however still kept going back to Sungyeol. It pained him that they failed in taking him away also. If he was to go back to that hell of a place again he would only do so to help Sungyeol... and in turn Myungsoo....  _Myungsoo_ , not L. For  _Myungsoo_  is just a boy trapped in a situation he can not get out of, Sunggyu realised. Trapped behind a mask he never wanted to wear.

That however still did not mean that he would welcome to see the "masked" boy there.

For  _L_... has never been never someone you'd look forward to meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fact about myself, I in fact like MyungYeol more than WooGyu, even if not by a lot... Quite surprising, huh? (o3o)/


	8. 07: Predator ad the Prey

_12:07:34_

_12:07:35_

_12:07:36_

As Sungjong watched the clock on the wall he was becoming more and more nervous.

What if Sunggyu won't come?

What if Hoya, despite the way he acted and his revealing of all that information - which were actually true, Sungjong checked - was someone from  _them_?

What... if it was really L who he had seen in the corner of his eye?

There were just so many "ifs" about the situation... way more than Sungjong would like... and so he decided to not think of it for just a little longer.

_12:07:57_

_12:07:58_

_12:07:59_

_12:08:00_

\- - - - -

He was waiting.

Waiting like a predator waits for its prey, breathing down his neck almost.

Waiting patiently, knowing that there will come time to reveal himself. Knowing that there will be the right time to strike.

There is no place for failure.

\- - - - -

"Two minutes left." Hoya announced, scanning the space of the airport to search for the familiar figure of the skinny kid which Sungjong was.

"What if he doesn't appear?" Sunggyu stressed himself as the three of them sat on one of the benches on the less frequented part of the airport, trying hard not to slide back into his habit of biting his nails. He would have bitten them bloody already if not having some will power left.

"He will come." Woohyun tried to reassure him. He however was not sure. After all how could he be?

\- - - - -

_12:11:59_

_12:12:00_

It was just as the giant clock on the wall struck the appointed time that it all happened at once.

\- - -

Seeing the time the three nervous guys stood up and looked around.

Seeing the time Sungjong, who was for most part hiding in one of the shadowy parts, walked from the dark to meet them.

Seeing the time yet another figure emerged from the shadows, pointing his gun at Sungjong's back.

\- - - - -

"Sungjong!" Sunggyu cried out, his eyes widening in fright as he pointed just behind his friend, caring less than little that the gesture is considered rude.

It was as soon that Sungjong turned around that he saw what startled his elder so much.

For right where he looked stood a black clad figure which both of them knew by two names stood. However there was no doubt just which of those this was.

 _This..._ was L.

\- - - - -

"What a sweet family reunion." L smirked, not lowering his gun still. He knew he had to care about the cameras only a little. After all it was such a nice coincidence that at the very time of the encounter the guard would be out to get a coffee... then deciding to stay at the machine for a few minutes.

A nice  _coincidence_  indeed.

Now it was only about playing the cards right.

\- - - - -

It however was not L who pulled out a trumph in the end.

"Myungsoo?"

The sound of his name startled "L", his head snapping to look at the one who called him that.

He however was not the only one that had the same reaction, the two people who had their lives hanging on a strand turned around also, that however did not change the fact that they both kept looking back at L.

Everyone was shocked.

For it was Woohyun who spoke up.

Woohyun, who seemed to be the most baffled about the situation which came up.

Him knowing anything or anyone of that organization Sunggyu did not expect.

L's eyes widened with recognition. "You...?"

What happened after, none of the present expected also.

L _fled_  the scene.

And in that very same moment Woohyun crumbled to the floor, holding his head.

\- - - - -

"Hyung?" Sungjong spoke up from his seat next to the driver, looking to the back of the car whee Sunggyu sat, sleeping Woohyun's head in his lap.

"What is it Jong?" Sunggyu spoke back, not lifting his eyes from Woohyun's peaceful face.

"Just what happened there? How could he have known him?"

"I don't know Jong... I really don't." Sunggyu sighed, running his hand through the short hair Woohyun sported. Not that he realised it.

"You should just ask him once he wakes up." Hoya suggested, still keeping his eyes on the road. Not that with the traffic they were stuck in there were potential possibilities crashing into someone. "Whether he'll tell you I wouldn't be so sure though."

"Why wouldn't he?" Sungjong asked before Sunggyu had the chance to.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not that he wouldn't want to tell you... I think it would be more along the lines of wouldn't be able..."

"What do you mean?" Sunggyu asked, looking up from the sleeping for of Woohyun.

"You've seen him when that happened... There just was  _something_... I can't really point at it... Something that did not fit. He himself seemed surprised to know... Myungsoo was it?" he turned to Sungjong for confirmation and once he got it he continued. "Myungsoo's name. Not to mention that the fact he passed out thanks to the strain of it... The knowledge of that fact is not something on the forefront of his mind... I'll be surprised if he even remembers seeing him once you ask him."

"We'll see about that..." Sunggyu agreed, turning his attention back to Woohyun, who turned in his sleep, wrapping his arm around Sunggyu, causing the elder's cheeks to colour a bit.

"Has something of the sort happened before?" Hoya spoke up again, giving Sunggyu opportunity to gather his stoic persona again.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, some lapses in attention? Strange behaviour? Anything?"

"There was no..." Sunggyu suddenly stopped himself, his mind going back to the time Woohyun returned from work. "There was actually... When I was at Woohyun's only for few days at most he came from work to the garden where I was... He stumbled upon some rock and fell on all four. He however did not just stand up, he sat on the ground, looking at his hands covered in mud... Looking at them, but not really looking, if you know what I mean... He stayed like that until I wheeled over to him in my chair. When I asked him about it he just shrugged it off."

"Strange..." Hoya mumbled to himself only. "Should I look into it?" he then asked.

"I don't really have means to pay you." Sunggyu sighed.

"'S okay, he'll pay me even if I don't find anything. He'd want to know also anyway." Hoya said only, waving his hand in the general direction of the back of the car.

"If you think so..."

"I know it, believe me."

\- - - - -

It was only the day after that Woohyun woke up and it did not really come as a surprise when he could not recall the meeting at the airport except for some blurry images. A black clad person he could not identify in his memory being the one to stand out most of these.

No one however pressed him to remember, they knew it would do more harm then good.

Aside from that Woohyun seemed genuinely happy to finally meet Sungjong and welcomed him into his residence, glad he has chosen a room for him beforehand and Sunggyu has already shown it to the boy after their arrival.

At least some things seemed to go remotely normal.

\- - - - -

At the time, in a differet place something "normal" also was happening. Or at least normal for that place's standard.

"How dare you return back, failing the mission?" the man yelled as his fist landed on the jaw of L who was held by his arms by two men.

"He just appeared there. How was I to know that the two got themselves a protection?" L spat out, literally, the blood was gathering in his mouth already.

"Who?"

"M."

The letter came out as a whisper almost. It however was enough to make the room drown in tense silence for a while. L even felt one of the two guys by his sides stiffen at the sound of it.

"M? He was there?" the leader asked, his face showing something akin to shock. It was the first time L has ever seen that emotion on the man's face. It was one of the reasons why he chose to answer with a nod only.

"So M it is... How did the two of them come across him? How could they sway him to their side?" the leader mused, seeming to be a bit in the world of his own for a moment.

"Who's M?" one of the guys L had by his side asked. It was the one who did not freeze momentarily at the mention of the name.

"You don't know M? Ah, yes, you were only brought later... You however still must have heard of him. Code name: M. More widely known as a Red Mamba."

The reaction would almost seem comical to L... if not for the fact that he would most likely by struck again.

"The Red Mamba?" the guy asked, horrified almost. "I just thout the hyungs made someone up to scare us."

"Red Mamba is a real." the leader smirked. "He used to be one of us, some time before you came. He really was a sight." the man seemed to be recalling the times fondly. "Believe me... what is said is an understatement. Mamba was the most ruthless one you'd find here, even L here would do good if he could take one or two more lessons from him." the leader smirked. "He's someone one would definitely be able to forget."

'That he indeed is not.' 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am well aware that a "Red Mamba" is not real snake species, but this is more symbolism than anything else. I will explain it... in time...


	9. 08: Stained and Clear Water

After Sungjong had been freed, the routine at the "Nam Palace" - as the boy nicknamed it - changed.

Sunggyu spent a lot of time with Sungjong, the two of them catching up on the lost time. Filling the other on what he missed. Woohyun joined them when he had time, listening to the stories. Sometimes even adding something of his own. That however was not too often as the head of Namu became busier.

Having two "escapees" residing in his home, both of which someone wanted to have the head of, called for higher security and that was just what the man did. And not only that.

Sensing there was more to the danger he even had Hoya investigate the involvement of the two in any activity during past three years, wanting to know just what set the chain reaction, he found himself to suddenly be a part of, into motion.

Little did Woohyun know that Hoya had another investigation going on. One that involved the King of grease, as requested by the Sung-duo. One that started by getting the tapes of the incident on the Incheon Airport.

However Woohyun didn't know that.

And even if he did, the underlying tension of danger wouldn't have left.

\- - - - -

_"What a sweet family reunion."_  the person repeated over and over in Woohyun's head as he held it, hoping it would ease the terrible pain.

Who was it that said those words?

'I can't see him. Do I know him? When has this happened?' Woohyun asked himself in different variations again and again as his vision kept on being blurry in the recollection.

'Why can't I see his face?'

The pain was becoming almost unbearable and Woohyun could feel the shortage of air supply almost tangibly. It was not that hard, considering his lungs burned, not having enough oxygen to work properly. They were mirroring the pain Woohyun felt in his head.

If only the intensity of it allowed him to keep at least a little of his straight mind. If only it did not feel as if his skull and ribcage were about to be torn apart.

Then, suddenly, the image cleared.

Woohyun could clearly see the owner of that voice, looking at him with something akin to recognition.

_"You...?"_

How could that man know him?

How could he when Woohyun himself was pretty sure he has never seen the man before?

Looking around Woohyun saw more of the details as the time around him froze seemingly.

"Incheon... Airport?" he asked himself, having been in the building a few times before.

'Is this what happened when we went to pick Sungjong up?' his thoughts clicked immediately, recognizing the younger boy standing next to Sunggyu, looking at the black clad person with fear.

'Is that an enemy? One of those who kept them locked?' Woohyun continued asking himself, not having any answers on hand though. Why was it so hard to connect some of his thoughts together?

Out of blue the scene changed.

Woohyun couldn't see the two runaways anymore, nor could he see the person he had yet to place a name on. He saw something entirely different.

A place covered with red.

Blood.

Everywhere.

Wooyhun looked around. Horrified. Confused. Scared. There was no emotion on the scale of fear strong enough to express just how terribly and utterly frightened Woohyun felt at that moment.

He saw the blood leaking into the pool, dirtying the water.

'Is that our pool?'

He saw how it pooled around the bodies, lying motionlessly on the tiles around the place meant for swimming.

'Who is that?'

And the worst of all, he saw it dripping from the knife he held in his hand.

'Have I done that?'

"Good work M." he heard just next to his ear. When he turned around however, there was no one.

And the pain in his head returned.

\- - -

Woohyun shot up from his bed, looking around his room like a scared animal.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice trembling, his body shivering madly.

"Did that actually happen?" he whispered almost, digging his nail into his arms, not caring for the little crescent moons he was likely to leave there.

"It looked so real..."

\- - -

It took Woohyun about an hour to gather at least a semblance of control over his distraught feelings.

He looked at the digital clock which read 8:24 and sighed.

"What brought that on?" he asked himself as he dragged his body out of the bed, heading for the kitchen. Only when he reached that goal did he truly push that question into the back of his mind, not having found an answer.

He somehow knew, that concentrating on preparing Sunggyu's breakfast was less likely to bring him a headache.

If everything went well the older man would even be declared healthy, not much later into the day.

'The doctor's with him now already, I suppose.' the head of The Namu thought, pouring hot water over tea leaves.

He did not realise that by then the dream he had had already been pushed into the very furthest corner of his mind, next to more memories which had yet to be re-awakened. He already wouldn't be able to speak of it. He only remembered that he had been truly terrified that night... but did not remember.

'I wonder if it all goes without a problem...'

\- - - - -

'Finally.' Sunggyu thought as he looked at the paper which stated his clean bill of health.

"So? How did it go?" Woohyun asked, walking into the room, a tray of food in his hands. Why the man always insisted to bring him his breakfast, even after he had gotten better, Sunggyu did not know.

"Great, I am apparently finally healthy." Sunggyu smiled, taking the breakfast. Soon after he did he was working on digging into it.

"That's perfect." Woohyun said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Too bad you can't go anywhere. It would be fun to go out and celebrate it."

"It's not as if Sungjong can go anywhere either, so... should we just do some indoors party?" Sunggyu mused, more to himself than to Woohyun.

"Yeah, we could do that." answered cheerily. "Maybe some celebration just for the three of us? And invite Hoya maybe? That's not exactly party numbers, but we could make it by the pool and then it would not matter anyway... We'd be in the water most of the time anyway."

Sunggyu snickered as he watched the excitement Woohyun exhibited. "You do realise that I've been only thinking aloud, not really meaning it?"

"Nope, it will be fun. The idea of not celebrating is being dismissed." Woohyun waved his hand in disapproval.

"If you think so..."

\- - - - -

It did not take much convincing to get Hoya to come, and Sungjong was thrilled with the idea of some fun. In the end even Sunggyu was looking to their "Pool Party" quite a lot.

As a matter of a fact the party consisted of four people gathered by a pool with loads of food and drinks. The latest in amounts which ten people would have troubles to consume, not to mention four.

"You really shouldn't have bought so much you know?" Sunggyu sighed as he still sat by a bowl full of strawberries, eating the content one by one.

"Quite the contrary." Woohyun laughed as he prepared himself what seemed to be a fruit-skewer. "Since you don't have opportunities to go outside we have to enjoy it here as much as possible."

"Enjoy it you say?" Sunggyu smirked as he took his shirt off, standing up.

He did not miss how Woohyun's eyes trailed across his chest, stopping at the scar caused by the bullet wound.

The man however did not have time to look much longer as it was soon after that Sunggyu dragged him the meter it was to the pool itself and hauled the two of them into the water, laughing his head off when they resurfaced moments later.

"What have I done to deserve that?" Woohyun whined, turning with narrowed eyes to the two party-goers who still were dry and who were almost rolling over the tiled floor laughing.

He looked at the water which flowed past his fingers as he held his hands up.

'Clear...' he thought, a picture of the same water stained with red appearing before his eyes for a moment, causing him to flinch. 'Still clear...'

He was so engrossed in trying to figure out the source of that vision that he almost missed when Sunggyu spoke to him again. And that voice made him forget yet again, returning him back into the moment of rollicking with Sunggyu.

"Nothing really, just prevention, I suppose." the older of the two grinned, enjoying his moment of victory. It however was short lived, especially as he was soon swept over by a wave, which disticintly smelled of chlorine.

Having not anticipated that he started choking on the water, sputtering until his air passages become water-free again.

Needless to say that the process of it had been accompanied by howls of laughter from the other three people present.

"Idiot!" Sunggyu fumed, jumping at the younger man, trying to pull him underwater.

He only managed to do so moments later, when he hooked his leg on Woohyun's and casued the slightly shorter man to fall into the water, head first.

'Success!'

\- - -

It was just as Woohyun's head had been dunked underwater that a new person appeared inside the pool hall. Or more like walked in backwards with a bottle in his hands.

"Hey there Hyun, haven't seen you in so..." his voice trailed off as he turned around, only to see three pairs of eyes focused on him. "...me?"

"Uhm, hello?"


	10. 09: New Feelings and Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I caught up with AFF!!! Yay (^v^)/

The people by and in the pool stared at the newcomer, shock-frozen, until Woohyun's head re-appeared above the water surface.

"Hey! What's the..." Woohyun caught on immediately on the tense atmosphere in the hall. And it was not hard to trace the source of it, given that everyone in his field of vision was staring at it.

Wanting to have his answer Woohyun turned around cautiously, only to sigh in relief when he realized who it was that he was looking at.

"Jang Dongwoo, you idiot, telephones were invented so people would use them. What brought this _unannounced_ visit of yours on?" the head of The Namu called out as he half-swam, half-walked in the direction of the person standing in the doorframe, as frozen by the tense atmosphere as the rest of the strangers he saw around him. Seeing his friend's no-nonsense approach though, Dongwoo felt his own tension gave out a lot. 

Seeing the casual way Woohyun spoke to the man, the rest of the people in the room were broken from tightest of the hold of the petrifying feeling also. It however did not mean that they were not on alert. Especially the two escapees who had yet to know what sort of acquaintance this man was.

"I'll be back in a while." Woohyun called out before they could find that out, dragging the source of their uneasiness through the door.

Once he did that the three people, who remained in the vicinity of the pool, only looked at each other with worry.

Just what would this unannounced visit turn out to be for them?

\- - - - -

"Dongwoo, you dino in human's clothing, you really do know how to choose time, don't you?" Woohyun muttered to his long-time friend as he still dragged the man, whom he still blamed for having his car stolen, from the close proximity of the pool.

"What's the matter? You never seemed to mind much if I came by..." Dongwoo sulked, not understanding his friend's behaviour. He then broke out of his hold, folding his arms over his chest, the bottle he held sticking out weirdly. "And who were those people?"

"Some people who just about had a heart-attack thanks to your visit." Woohyun sighed, dragging his hand through his hair. He then turned to his friend, assessing him, and made his decision.

"Dongwoo, just how much do you know about what happened at the Uilyo hospital?"

\- - - - -

"He seemed kinda friendly..." Hoya pointed out when Sunggyu exited the pool to sit with him and Sungjong by the table filled with food.

"Yeah." Sunggyu agreed, sighing as he dragged a bottle of Soju closer to him to drink from. "There probably won't be much problems with him." 'Except there always are problems' he added to himself.

It did not ease Sungjong's mind to see his older friend with a bottle of alcohol. Sunggyu always drank Soju when stressed. He however did not want Hoya, who did not know of that particular habit of Sunggyu's, to be troubled also. And so he only sighed.

"Yea, probably."

\- - - - -

"Well wow." was the only words Dongwoo said when he heard a short and to-point version of what happened in the last month or so.

"It can be quite overwhelming, believe me, I lived through that." Woohyun laughed at his friend's befuddlement.

"Yeah, ha-bloody-ha, but really, it's just... That wasn't what I imagined to get to know when I came here. Nor when I met you at work." Dongwoo shared his thoughts.

"And you better not spread it further, because it really is about lives here, you know?"

"I understood that part pretty quickly, no need to worry about it." Dongwoo waved his hand in front of his face in dismissal.

"Now how about you meet them now? They'll be happy for a new ally. I can imagine they must be quite worried about how this will turn out..." Woohyun mused, thinking about the three men who stayed by the pool.

About Hoya, who was the least affected so far.

About Sungjong, who had yet to stop jumping three meters up when someone touched him.

And Sunggyu... Sunggyu who looked so good with his upper-half bare, and who smelled of the strawberries he ate like half a bowl of. If there was something Woohyun loved it was the smell of strawberries. And the smell he loved on someone he...

"Cool, let's do that." Dongwoo brought Woohyun out of his mind suddenly, the trail it was taking startling the head of The Namu a bit.

As he walked with his friend back to the others he however left those thoughts for some later time.

\- - - - -

Sungyeol looked at the empty cells around him with unease.

Cells of which three had never been occupied for more than a week. The ones in them "mysteriously" disappearing within that time.

And then there were the two cells which even up to that moment had been used only once.

The two cells the occupants of which were the only ones Sungyeol knew for sure escaped the building alive.

Sunggyu and Sungjong.

'How long has it been since they left?' Sungyeol wondered as he leaned against the back wall of his cell. 'A few months, maybe?'

Time was passing weirdly when one had no means to check it accurately.

'Did they even make it?'

The thought was heavy on Sungyeol's mind and he would rather if it was not there. It would be even worse though, if he knew that the two of his one-time co-prisoners were dead at the hand of his lover. Which they were not. Sungyeol knew Myungsoo well enough to estimate that he would be told.

If the two of the escapees were not yet dead though, and there was little to no trace of them, why was Myungsoo so jumpy lately? What mission was he on? Who did he meet to make him that way?

'After all, Myung is not one to show his distress.' Sungyeol reflected. He kept on thinking about his boyfriend, what he was doing at the moment. Who he was meeting. When would he come to his cell again? Those thoughts however only led the lone occupant of the cells back in loop.

'I hope they made it...' Sungyeol sighed, remembering Sunggyu's face when he told him he was not going. The confusion over it.

He however  _could not_  go. They would think Myungsoo helped them. And if they thought that, who knew what they would do to him?

'No, that would not be an option.'"


	11. 10: Times of Joy and Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... ehm... this chapter had been published about two months ago on AFF... I forgot to add it (-v-)>... (Sorry (^0^)>)

"What do you mean by "can't find them"? How can you  _not_  find someone? You're supposed to be the best detective for cases like this one!" the man yelled into the mobile phone angrily. "How hard can it be to find two people?!"

L, who watched it from the corner of the room, could only feely sorry for the person on the other end of line. It was never pleasant to be the one to receive that end of the tyrant's moods. On the other hand, if the man was willing to work for the man in the first place, then he must have done so in the past also... which meant that he was not a character to be pitied.

"Try harder!"

The sound of the mobile crashing against the wall was also nothing unfamiliar to the young man. He often saw expensive electronics, or even other objects when he thought about it, destroyed in that matter. At times it also ended with a dead body which someone came to dispose of.

"L!"

"Yes, sir?" the black-clad observer asked, coming out of the shadows the corner provided. One could never want to hide more when in presence of the angry man which directed his little "company" with an iron fist.

"I want you to search for the two also, as well as keep an eye out for M. If he was there with the two then finding him could lead us to them now."

Myungsoo despaired inwardly. How long has it been since he had a chance to sneak off for more than a minute? How long would it take until he was able to sneak off this time? Ever since the action on Incheon airport he was always by the man's side, the boss displeased over his failure to retrieve the two escapees. When would he be free to make a short visit downstairs? 

"As you wish, sir."

Seemingly not anytime soon.

\- - - - -

In the "Nam palace" no one was aware in the slightest about the dangerous clouds which were gathering, the eye of the storm being on its way into their lives.

"So you're escapees?" Dongwoo asked the youngest and eldest of the people by the pool, once it all was explained to him. Him having joined the pool party was just a side-effect.

"Basically, yes." Sunggyu sighed. Given that he had calmed down a little he let go of the Soju and went for the bowl of strawberries again, earning himself a look from Woohyun which he had hard time deciphering.

"But why?"

"We have information they want, and they're way too eager to get it." Sungjong added, for once not sounding the young age he was. When it came to the topic of the abductors he always seemed to age by years.

"Information about?" the detective inquired. Not only would the knowledge help him in the case the people in his closest vicinity were part of, but he was also just curious.

"I will not tell. We have not survived that to just let it slip now." Sungjong shot a look in the direction of the man. "It would kill the purpose."

"Or someone else..." Sunggyu muttered darkly.

After that everyone kept silent about the topic.

\- - -

It had been a few hours since Dongwoo came and the five young men were well on their way to be completely smashed.

They were all giggling at odd times, poking at each other, asking silly questions, and sharing embarrassing stories about themselves, which they would later on hope everyone will forget... Well and then there was Woohyun who was intent on singing random parts of Stevie Wonder's Lately to Sunggyu... who listened intently.

_"Lately, I have had the strangest feeling_

_With no vivid reason here to find..."_

"You have such a beautiful voice." Sunggyu praised a bit drunkily, not caring one bit that he was cutting into Woohyun's song, as he scooted closer to the his two-or-so-years junior. "And beautiful teeth, but seriously, did you train in front of the mirror so it's only your upper teeth that show when you smile or what?"

One would not guess that it was the oldest who drank the least.

"Yeeeah! Sing some more for us Grease Ball!" Dongwoo encouraged his friend, using a nickname which he always teased the said friend with. As he exclaimed so he - an image of innocence - also dragged himself closer to Hoya.

And Woohyun sang, he however seemed to have forgotten which song it was that he sang and so he started to sing something entirely else... still looking at Sunggyu, grabbing a random bottle to have as a mic.  
  


_"Shigani tto meomchun geolkkayo [ **Did time stop again?** ]_

_Ireohke tto jami deunayo [ **Is it going to fall asleep like this again?** ]_

_Meonghani bakkeul barabodaga [ **While staring blankly outside** ]_

_Dunun gameun che geudae saenggagi naseo. [_ **I’m thinking about you with my two eyes closed** ]"  
  


The three who were not immediate participants in the set of events were listening also, neither cared much that Woohyun had decided to sing what was obviously a love song to Sunggyu, they only quietly continued on sipping whatever bottle of alcohol they had in hand. They did not even bat an eye-lid when Woohyun switched to Japanese suddenly... even if no one but Sunggyu understood a word of it.  
  


_"Sorawo wataru kumono yooni [ **Like clouds which go across the sky,** ]_

_Kaze ni ochiru sunano yooni [ **Like sands which are blown off in the wind,** ]_

_Tada jikanga iyasu asuwo matsu. [ **I just wait for tomorrow which time heals.** ]_

_Onaji kaorino suru hitoto surechigau tabi [ **Each time I passed by the person with the same fragrance,** ]_

 

_Tsuyogatta kokoroga shizukani itamidasuyo [ **My heart, which always hides weakness, quietly begins to ache** ]"_

At that point Woohun suddenly cut off.

"I forgot how it continues." he muttered, as he pretty much fell onto Sunggyu's lap, draping himself over the young man whose cheeks were burning up, not quite knowing what to do with himself. It was not exactly everyday that someone sang him a love song. Same for having the same someone sleeping on his lap, burying their faces into the soft material of his shirt.

"Neverminds, it waz booootifull even so." Sungjong giggled, mispronouncing about every word in the sentence. There was a reason Sunggyu usually stopped him once the boy wanted alcohol. Well, that and the fact that Sungjong usually "stopped working" all of sudden and would fall asleep once he had too much.  _ ~~Thud~~._  Like he had at that very moment also.

"Yeah, beautiful, what was it? I've never heard it before." Hoya gave his input, only grazing the softly snoring Sungjong with his eyes. He felt as if everything was great at that moment. Feeling as if he should hug everyone just for the sake of spreading his happy mood on others. It was great that Dongwoo was so  _conveniently_  nearby.

It's wonderful how when you had a few  ~~bottles~~  glasses of alcohol it seemed perfectly normal that someone whom he knew for few hours only was all but sitting on his lap, said someone's arms wrapped around Hoya's neck loosely.

"'S mine... had someone write it..." they only heard a mumble, the sound muffled by Sunggyu's shirt. It was apparent that the most powerful persoon in the room was also well on his way to sleep.

"Sounds legit." Hoya assessed, his voice sounding sleepily also, those being the last words someone at the pool party uttered.

For it was soon after that everyone succumbed to sleep.

\- - -

When the five of the people woke up much, much later, they all did so with headaches.

"I'm never going to drink so much again." Doongwoo, who woke up first, groaned. He however knew himself well enough to know that that was a lie.

"Tell me about it." Hoya grunted in response. His brain had yet to catch up on the fact that Dongwoo's voice sounded from less than half a meter... and that he was lying on the said source of sound.

"Maybe I should really wait until September before drinking?" Sungjong, who had been woken up by the other voices, questioned himself, massaging his temples.

"You're not legal yet?" Hoya asked, turning his head to the youngest of the hungover friends.

"No, I'm nineteen. I've got more than half a year to go." Sungjong said as he attempted to get up, but did so too quickly. That caused him to collapse back to whatever surface he had been sitting on.

"I always tell him not to drink, no luck there." Sunggyu muttered from where he was draped over Woohyun, said head of The Namu still being blessfully asleep with his arms wrapped around Sunggyu as if he was a teddy bear.

"Just how much did we drink?" Dongwoo asked, absent mindedly pushing the still-half-asleep detective off him. The he realised what he was doing and jumped up, managing to throw Hoya off and onto the ground.

"That hurt." Hoya protested. He however also suddenly became aware of the situation and flushed. "Umm..."

The two were saved from an embarrassing moment of silence by Woohyun.

"Could you keep it quiet? My head's about to burst."

\- - -

Some hours later, when they all more or less got rid of their after-effects of overindulging, they all sat around a table, having lunch in companionable silence.

"So? When will the next event to be celebrated be?" Dongwoo asked, already having forgotten of his no-drinking promise to himself.

"Umm.. I think that would be my birthday, not that it's much to celebrate, mind you." Woohyun spoke up, biting into his food-of-choice.

"Sounds fun, when is it supposed to be?" Dongwoo asked.

"On 8th February, so in a week? I don't know, what's the date today?"

"Should be 1st February, I think, so yeah, in a week." Sunggyu affirmed.

"Great!" Dongwoo laughed. "Can't wait for the party!"

"Says the person who wanted never to drink again." Hoya muttered, not lifting his glance from his food. He still felt a bit embarrassed about how they found themselves when waking up.

"Spoilsport." Dongwoo pouted. He on the other hand could not keep his eyes of the detective.

"So you will all be here then? Aren't three of the people here, like supposed to work or something?" Sungjong snickered, causing the said three people to groan.

"Don't remind me." Woohyun moaned. "I have to go tomorrow, it seems there are some security problems in the headquarters lately. Nothing serious though, they say... and you better  _do_  go to work Dino, I don't pay you for nothing."

"Okay boss!" Dongwoo mock-saluted, causing the rest of the people around the table to burst out laughing.

And the day continuing like that, the start of February had been welcomed in a bright mood.

\- - - - -

Somewhere else however, the start of February passed in an entirely different set of mind.

'Shouldn't he have stopped by by now?' Sungyeol thought to himself, watching the door to the set of cells. When was the last time he had seen his lover?

'He usually stops by in a week interval at least.' he looked at the short lines carved into the wall. The only way to keep track of time in his situation.

Not that he actually knew how long he had been there altogether - especially as there were too many of them by that point of time - but it at least helped him keep track of Myungsoo's visits.

Sungyeol traced the lines which had been underlined, counting the days in between those for last three months or so.

"Four, six, six, three, five, six, two, seven, three..." he muttered to himself quietly. Then he got to the very last number. "... twelve." It had been twelve days since Myungsoo's last visit at that point. What was keeping him away? What was he made to do? Was he all right? When will he be able to come again?

The state of disquiet was killing Sungyeol.


End file.
